Wednesday, 6 March 2013

You know how you feel this rush of emotions about the situation in the city and just DON'T have words intense enough to portray it? One of my closest friends, Tooba Akhtar, is a patriot and Karachi lover. Also, a brilliant writer. She has managed to come up with this beautiful, beautiful piece. MUST. BE. READ.

Today, Karachi has made me feel emotions I didn't even know I had the capacity to feel. You whirlwind-causer, you. So typical.

Karachi is my city. It’s where I was born, where I grew up, and where
I intend to be for the rest of my life, provided it’s what God has
planned for me.

Karachi is also where some, in fact most, of my best memories are.
It’s where I attended school and made friends. It’s where my parents
held my hand and took me out. It’s the city where my dad demands he
kisses me on the cheek every time he leaves the house, be it for a few
hours or a few weeks. It’s also where my grandparents spoiled me
relentless, and it’s where they, together with my parents, taught me
manners. Manners to lead a peaceful life, manners to make niceties, and
manners to be a lady; though the latter is not something I always stuck
to.

Karachi is where I experienced friendship, and the wonderful people
it familiarised me with. It’s where I made friends, and where friends
unfriended me. It’s where I had my first crush outside of television.
It’s also the city where I experienced heartbreak for the first time.

Karachi is where I found God. In my heart, which is in my body, which
is in Karachi. I belong to Karachi and Karachi belongs to me.

Up until recently, I hadn’t realised just how deep my love for
Karachi was. I knew I loved it always, don’t get me wrong; I just didn’t
know how much. I loved it enough to always defend it. And enough to
point out every opportunity I got that we have a beach. But I never
quite knew Karachi could make me feel pain.
But it can. Karachi hurts now. Seeing how things have become in this
beautifully diverse and uncompromisingly resilient city of mine gives me
heart ache. It hurts. To an unforeseen degree. It really hurts. The
pain is stifling, bordering on excruciating. So much bloodshed. Of my
people. It hurts. And with every half a drop more of blood, the pain
becomes increasingly crippling.

But more than hurting me, watching Karachi go down makes me cringe.
It brings frown lines to my forehead. I never wanted to feel this way
about Karachi, but it has left me with no choice. From being the city
that taught me how to trust, it has now become the city I can’t trust.
The irony of the situation isn’t lost on anyone. I can’t trust Karachi
with my family, my friends, my loved ones, my fellow compatriots. I
never know when Karachi will swallow any of them. I never know who
Karachi will swallow next. This unpredictability used to amuse me once,
it added to the beauty of my city; the city that took every opportunity
it got to surprise me, and others like me. But now, Karachi makes me
feel scared, but more than scared, I feel vulnerable.

Karachi has now become the city that has enough power to take
everything away from me. Everything that’s mine, and everything I love.

Until you recover, Karachi, until you recover. I’m not going to
abandon you. Ever. I’m not going to be an opportunist and find an easy
escape route. No. I’m gonna fight for what’s mine. I’m gonna struggle.
Till I don’t get you back, Karachi.

Karachi, meri jaan. You bring tears to my eyes, and that’s how much I
love you. I hope to live to see the day you become you again. Godspeed.

Monday, 4 March 2013

I don't usually quote people. And, since this is MY blog, especially not here. Last night, however, a friend wrote something that touched my heart, and i'm going against my rules.

"Life is not a bed of roses, and even then, it has the ability to surprise you. Sometimes unpleasantly. The
One looking above all of us, maintains a perfect balance in each of our
lives. He makes sure that none of the billions of us gets over or
under blessed. And for that, He tests us with various situations. It is up to you to look at the bright side. You
lose your phone, you get promotion. You lose your laptop, you
make a friend. You lose your girl, you learn a lesson. You lose your father, you become a
man.

The hidden blessings behind a curse are way beyond our
horizon to comprehend, yet, we must have faith in Allah. We must believe that something
much better is inevitably about to arrive. We must look forward to it.

So in my opinion, instead
of pondering aimlessly about what we've lost, we should look forward to what Allah gives us to make up for it."

Saturday, 2 March 2013

When a father walks into the maternity ward and sees his new-born for the first time, you should see his face. You should record that moment, not in your cameras or phones, but in your heart; it is much too precious to be put in something as artificial as a DSLR. Now that's real happiness.

Have you ever given someone a surprise? An unexpected present, an affectionate brush of the hand, a kiss on the cheek, a sweet compliment? If you have, you will know that their reaction and appreciation is the best pay-back in the world, and there seems to be no place in the world you'd rather be.

Is being given a surprise better than giving one? I thought i knew my answer. Recently, a friend of mine, realising that i'm crazy about balloons, got me a car full of them. His expression when he saw me jumping with unconstrained happiness was so content that I had second thoughts about it. I realised, seeing someone you love smiling because of your actions is about the best surprise you could ever get.

Often i've heard people wondering what "life" is. They talk about it as if one conversation is enough to decipher the most complicated code in the universe. Now, I may not be as cool a philosopher as Socrates, but I am cool enough to tell you that it's little moments and little favours that bring great joy. It's these little things that constitute life. Not a Mercedes, but a Kitkat can make you ecstatic. It's not the most expensive facial treatment that brings a glow to your skin, but a hug from your best mate.

My theory says: don't over-think, take life as it comes at you; it might not be as bad as your nightmares suggest. Give it a chance. Learn to accept that maybe not knowing everything before-hand is a blessing. Surprise life by accepting its unyielding mystery and in turn, let life surprise you.

When i was younger
my aims and prospective careers used to change everyday; I didn't know
what I wanted to be, I only knew that I want to be the best at whatever i did. I
haven't changed much but i have found out that whoever you are and
whatever your talent is, there is always going to be someone who is
better at it. It depressed me for a while, and then of my best friends said "Are you going to spend your
life being depressed about the fact that you aren't born best at
something, or are you going to look for something you're good at and BE
the best at it?" And now I'm okay with it.